Danny's 92 525i Thread - Some Assembly Required

[circuit.heart]

It's been so long I forgot you updated this thread :p was good to see you! Don't know how the hell you're doing 27mpg at the speeds you drive, but I guess that means the M50NV is healthier than you give it credit for lol.

[dannyzabolotny]

It's been so long I forgot you updated this thread :p was good to see you! Don't know how the hell you're doing 27mpg at the speeds you drive, but I guess that means the M50NV is healthier than you give it credit for lol.

The M50NV just seems happy at like 80-85, that 27mpg was calculated at the pump since I have no OBC. Compression-wise, my engine is still decent, it just burns a lot of oil, lol. It was good to see you too, I always enjoy an excuse to go up to the Bay and see all the people there.

[dannyzabolotny]

A few weeks ago, I started preparing for the Arizona summer. And by that, I mean I gathered parts to overhaul the AC system in my E34. This car was originally an R12 car, much like every pre-93 E34, and I had hastily converted it to R134 by putting on new fittings, a new receiver drier, and swapping on the compressor from the totaled white car. It worked okay up until it got into triple digits, so it was time to replace everything.

The parts spread— featuring a new condenser, compressor, receiver drier, pressure switch, and expansion valve. I also ordered a new radiator since mine was leaking and also for an automatic (so it had unneeded fittings).



The first step was removing the evap core to replace the expansion valve. I also took the time to flush out the evap core to get all the nasty old gunk out.



New expansion valve installed, and I filled the evap core with 40g of oil, as per the spec.



Next was installing the new compressor. I noted that this new compressor had a fair bit more resistance to turning by hand than my old one, so perhaps the old one was starting to get worn out— it had 75k abusive miles on it, with near-constant use. The compressor came pre-filled with oil, so I didn't need to add any.



Moving onto the condenser, you can see the difference between the old-style condenser and the new parallel-flow condenser.



With the radiator and condenser removed, it was an interesting view that you don't see too often:





After swapping the aux fan onto the new condenser, I installed it, pretty drama-free. The condenser was filled with 20g of oil as per spec.



The final step was to replace the receiver drier and pressure switch. Nothing exceptional there, just replaced o-rings and screwed on the new pressure switch. After pulling a vacuum for over an hour, I did an hour-long vacuum test, which the system passed with flying colors. Now that I was reasonably confident the new parts were all sealed up and not leaking, I filled the system with around 54oz of R134a. I was rewarded with 39ºF vent temps with the ambient temps somewhere in the upper 80's.



A few days later, I was driving around with it being 110ºF outside, and I saw vent temps of around 39ºF with the fan on the max speed. Pretty solid.



One of my customers was nice enough to give me some old floor mats they had laying around, so for the first time in any of my E34's I have a driver's floor mat! Very exciting.



My girlfriend recently bought an E46 330i ZHP auto to replace her miserable Hyundai. It drives fairly good after I did a few maintenance items, and has great AC. It's nice to have an all-BMW driveway now.



This past weekend, Dane and I drove up to Flagstaff in the E34 to try and get out of the heat a bit. While it was 88ºF there, that was a huge improvement over the 115ºF it was in Phoenix that day.

[bimmerjan]

Nice write-up! New parts always look so good.

[justinca540i]

Beautfiul ZHP to join the E34, are those Apex ARC8s/CSL inspired wheels?

[dannyzabolotny]

Nice write-up! New parts always look so good.

Thanks! I always enjoy installing new parts, it's a good time.

Beautiful ZHP to join the E34, are those Apex ARC8s/CSL inspired wheels?

They're some kind of CSL/comp wheel reps. Somehow still lighter than the stock ZHP boat anchor wheels. They're straight and came with decent Continentals on the rear, just need to buy some new Contis for the front. Maybe I'll start a thread for it on ZHP Mafia since I'm the one that's doing all the work to it, lol.

[cornershop]

Nice work!
I may need something similar with my AC. It was confirmed leak free recently but was not pressure tested - it lasted a week after a refill before it developed incontinence externally from near the bulkhead.

The footwells are dry, however still need to find the source of the leak.

[Petrolheadpilot]

Very nice upgrades on the AC! I still need to do the same with mine, but I don't think I'm brave enough to attempt the work myself. Very well done!

[circuit.heart]

Very nice upgrades on the AC! I still need to do the same with mine, but I don't think I'm brave enough to attempt the work myself. Very well done!

You'll find the only bravery required is popping the high-pressure line itself, if you're doing it at home without the capture machine. The actual mechanicals of E34 A/C are pretty simple and forgiving.

As an aside, I heard through the grapevine that Danny wants to sell this car, so somebody jump on it!

[BleedsBlue]

ORLY? He'll be back in E34 land before long. If he's even leaving...

[dannyzabolotny]

Car is sold! It went to a local enthusiast that was actually the previous owner about 10 years ago, before the car sat abandoned in a lot. There's an interesting backstory to the whole thing. I told the buyer about this forum and I think they may already have an account on here from way back when, so perhaps they'll pop in and say hi

[Jason5driver]

Car is sold! It went to a local enthusiast that was actually the previous owner about 10 years ago, before the car sat abandoned in a lot. There's an interesting backstory to the whole thing. I told the buyer about this forum and I think they may already have an account on here from way back when, so perhaps they'll pop in and say hi

So , what is the replacement car ?